Hadeus
(Blood, Duels ) |inquisitions = *Chivalry *Fervor *Restoration *Valor *Zeal |ancestorpower = bless |allies = *Gunnlaugir *Mystras *The Council of Five *The Masked Fool *Yzyndria *Zannichos |enemies = Amen-Arum *Ximatia }} Hadeus is the elder god of Blood, one of The Four, the source of all ether—the stuff of souls, and the master of vitae—life force. In the Age of Gods, when The Four shaped Chaos into the material, he joined with Mystras to create the Humans, Elves, and Dragons. When Ximatia, who loved Hadeus from afar, saw the bond that he and Mystras shared, she flew into a horrible fury and struck them both down, tearing out Mystras' hearts and sending Hadeus into a deep torpor, from which he did not awake until the event known as the Cataclysm. Upon his awakening, Hadeus delivered unto mankind the divine mandate that formed the Holy Xilosian Imperium. At his command, the Imperium has spread Hadeanism across the Prime Material. Hadeus' avatar appears as a tall, handsome Human with pale skin, long silver hair and blood red eyes in ostentatious gold armor with red vestments. He bears three pairs of wings, which are silvery and birdlike during the day, and red bat-like wings during the night. He has also been known to take the form of a great silver-furred bat; a massive red-scaled dragon; or a horse with six legs, black fur, and a silver mane, who gallops across the sky. In whatever form he takes, Hadeus' presence is immediate and overwhelming, and his avatar is always accompanied by a disembodied heavenly chorus, singing infinite praises for him and his Saints. Hadeus indicates his favor with spontaneously growing beds of thorned roses, sightings of clouds of bats, and rays of red light from the heavens. His disapproval is most commonly exhibited by sudden, unrelenting tears of blood (although the ability to willingly undergo stigmata is seen as a sign of great Hadean favor), and by darkening of the sky with black, rainless clouds. He is associated with horses, bats (especially vampire bats), and roses. Hadeus' holy symbol is a longsword with a cross-guard shaped like a pair of wings (either avian or bat-like). When back-dropped with a laurel, this is called the Crest of Xilosia, and is the official symbol of the Imperial Ecclesiarchy. __TOC__ Blessings Whenever you are targeted by a mind-affecting effect with this blessing active, you gain a piety bonus to attack and weapon damage rolls until the end of your next turn. This blessing does not apply if the mind-affecting effect successfully forces you to attack an ally. While this blessing is active, you gain a piety bonus to saves vs diseases and poisons. While this blessing is active, you gain a piety bonus to Perform (Sing) skill checks. Whenever you begin or maintain a Bardic Performance with audible components or Raging Song while this blessing is active, you may spend an additional round of performance to cure all allies who can hear your performance a number of points of damage equal to your piety. This affects all allies who can hear your song, even those who are not otherwise affected by it. Obedience and Boons Spend 5 minutes to cut a small triangle into your skin using a sickle or other light blade, dealing 1 point of sacrificial damage to yourself. Then, allow the wound to bleed uninhibited and naturally close over the course of 55 minutes while you sing hymns or pray. Gain a piety bonus to saves vs death and fear effects for 24 hours. Once per day, you may use divine favor 3/day; or bless weapon 2/day; or vampiric touch 1/day as spell like abilities. Once you have chosen one of these abilities, you may not use another until the next day. Three times per day, you may use light of the Allfather as a spell-like ability. Creatures who worship Hadeus and are under the light get a +1 morale bonus to attack and weapon damage rolls, and to saves vs fear, in addition to the normal effects of the spell. When you first gain this ability, you are assigned a Valor Guard, three Vanguard Angels whose job it is to protect you. Once per day, you may call one of your angels to your side as a full-round action. The angel follows your commands perfectly for 1 minute per HD you possess before returning to Hadea. The angel will not follow commands that would cause them to act in ways that would anger Hadeus. Such commands not only earn a sneer of disdain from the angel, but may cause the angel to leave or attack you in the command is particularly egregious. If one of your Valor Guard is slain by any method, they cannot be summoned again for 3 months. Description Dogma Hadeus demands first-most that his followers keep themselves and their fellows healthy. He regards blood as the most sacred substance, and tainting it with disease or poison is sacrilege. Hadeus also appreciates life in all its forms, and revels in acts that exemplify it and heighten its states. Sex, war, and merry-making (especially singing) all please him, and his favored worshipers are those who rise to the peaks of their capacities, becoming heroes and performing glorious acts. His final tenet is that of self-sacrifice. Martyrs, healers, and those care for the unfortunate all hold a special place in his attentions. The Church *'See 'Imperial Ecclesiasty Hadeanism, sometimes called the Sanguine Faith, is the state religion of the Holy Xilosian Imperium, enforced as mandatory by the Inquisition—an organization given supreme authority to root out heretics and heretical acts. For this reason, the diversity of Hadeus' worshipers is that of three kingdoms worth of people. Young and old, pauper and prince, arcanist and scientist all worship Hadeus alike in Xilosia. Religion is as much a part of Imperial life as is day and night. The Hadean church itself is the most vast and structured religious faction in the Prime, and perhaps in all of creation. With the advent of the Imperium came the founding of the Imperial Ecclesiasty, a reformation of the Hadean faith based on the new Hadean Commandments; stressing a strict hierarchy (very much in line with the nature of the Imperium itself), and a sacred mission to spread the will and faith of Hadeus. The Ecclesiasty is as much an institution as it is a faith, acting as the stronger half of the Imperial governing body (collectively called the Ecclesiarchy). It possess divine authority over all mortals in the Imperium save for the Inquisition, and shares administrative power with the patrician houses. Being a god of song, church music—particularly in the form of choral hymns, is central to Hadean worship, and no service is without at least one song to glorify the Allfather. These songs are typically vocal only, but in particularly lavish circles they might have orchestral accompaniment. The church promotes and officiates marriage, which is both useful as a political tool for the patricians to form bonds between their houses, and for all circles of life to establish a declaration of love and commitment. Despite this commitment, however, the Hadean faith and Imperial society do not value monogamy, and those who are blessed enough to have multiple loves are fully encouraged to establish multiple marriages. Temples and Shrines An Ecclesial temple is called a basilica. They are invariably one of the most expensive and ostentatious structures in any Imperial settlement, always placed in the geographic center of the community. Basilicas are designed to impress and inspire, possessing towering steeples, massive sloped red-tile roofs, stained glass windows depicting Hadeus and his Saints, and rows of columns and buttresses. The grandiosity of a town's basilica is a status symbol for all of the settlement, an outward reflection of their prosperity and devotion to the faith. The basilica is not only a place of worship, but a place of authority, housing the Hadean clergy and its holy spaces as well as the judicial and political facilities for the town. Deeply ingrained into Imperial life, sermons are held twice daily, where blood tithes are taken. Failing to appear at at least one sermon a week is a great faux pas, and may attract the attention of the Inquisition, if they are present. Shrines to Hadeus vary greatly. Sometimes they can simply be a small makeshift altar with a longsword driven into it and a small bowl for blood tithing, and other times they can be grand marble statues of the god, offering a warm but firm smile down on his disciples. Regardless of their form, shrines to Hadeus and his Saints are common sights in Imperial territories, and most patrician homes have personal shrines for private family ceremonies. The Clergy All of Hadeus' clergy are Clerics and Oracles, although Paladins, Rangers, and Warpriests can enter the Ecclesial service under the title of Templar. In this way, the church is split into two halves, the priest and the templars. Inquisitors, while technically members of the church, are more tied to the Inquisition, and operate largely separately from Ecclesial duties. A priest's day begins and ends with sermons, reading a passage from the Crimson Testaments or speaking from an Ecclesial position on recent news, leading or conducting a hymn, and collecting blood tithes. In the interim, a priest is to tend to the basilica, offer aid to the faithful who come looking for it, and train the acolytes in the ways of the Sanguine Faith. Higher ranking priests must also see to the matters of managing the settlement itself. To perform their duties, Hadean priests typically have ranks in Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge (Religion) and (World), Perform (Oratory), and (Sing), and Spellcraft. A templar's duties mirror the priest's in that they begin and end with the sermon, although it is far less common for them to participate in leading the ceremony. Once free of duties in the basilica, a templar is expected to patrol the settlement, ready to dispense both healing and violence as necessary to uphold the faith and safety of their city. In the absence of Inquisitorial intervention, templars act as the constabulary for Imperial settlements. The duties of a templar call upon them to have ranks in Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (Nobility), (Tactics), and (World), Perception, and Sense Motive. All members of the Ecclesiasty are expected to uphold the tenets of the Sanguine Faith, both in themselves and in others. When the opportunity to do so arises, they must also seek to spread the faith, either through mission of reasoned discourse, or through crusades or blood and steel. Adventurers Hadeanism lends itself wonderfully to adventurers, as to seek heroism and glory are highly virtuous acts in the eyes of the Allfather. Hadean adventurers are expected to go out and do good deeds not only for other Hadeans, but to all innocents in need, partly out of a sense of moral duty, and partly to spread his influence and word of his righteous power. Clothing Black, red, gold, and silver are the sacred colors of the Hadean faith, and all are extremely common in the Imperium. The formal vestments of a Hadean priest are a red or black robe trimmed with golden frieze patterns, and a stole of the opposite color. Acolytes typically wear only the robe with the addition of a hood, and those of higher station might also add various jewellery, such a golden circlet or laurel, and occasionally a miter is worn. Most Hadean ceremonies require the use of a blade, so it is rare to find one without a longsword or sickle. Although ceremoniously decorated, these weapons are always useful in combat. Holy Texts The Hadean holy text is a collection of three books (usually in one binding) called the Crimson Testaments. The first of these books is the Sacred Chronicle, a narrative telling of the story of Hadeus, including his part in the Chaos Wars, the creation of the material, his betrayal at the hands of Ximatia, his rebirth in the Cataclysm. This is the book most commonly read from in sermons. The next is the Hadean Commandments, which serve not simply as moral guidelines but actual text of the law in the Imperium. Here, a code of conduct for all Hadeans is established, and crimes are separated into two degrees of severity—Sin, and Heresy. Sins are actions which, while immoral, can be forgiven through blood tithes and rites of atonement; these including things such as stealing, fraudulence, accidental spreading of disease, and abuse of drugs. Heresies are crimes for which the standard punishment is death—though a holy Justiciar might choose to mete out a lesser punishment in certain cases; these include things such as treason, murder, apostasy, heresy itself (in the traditional sense), consorting with Fiends, and willful spreading of disease and mass poisoning. The final book is the Book of Saints, in which each Saint's tale of ascension is told, and virtues are extolled. This book is sometimes read from in sermons held where certain Saints are highly popular. Rituals and Holidays *'Convalescence' The 3rd of Telth is celebrated as a day of new beginnings and the healing of old wounds, observed by a day of fasting, prayer, and song. Healing services can be purchased in Hadean basilicas at half price on this day. *'Hadenalia' and the Sanguine Mass The 1st of Sanguas to the 8th are called Hadenalia—a week-long celebration filled with a series of festivals where tournaments, jousts, and feasts are held, building preparation for the Sanguine Mass, which takes place on the 9th of Sanguas. All faithful Hadeans must gather in or outside of a basilica, or in front of a shrine if no temple is available. A great simultaneous prayer ceremony is held, blood tithes are taken, and Hadeus' full attention is on the Prime and his worshipers there. On this day, all basilicas radiate with a constant widened light of the Allfather effect, and all Hadeans cast divine spell at +1 CL. *'Hero's Fair' The 9th of Xistam marks the day of heroes, a raucous celebration where songs of fallen heroes are sung, and the young engage in sparring and contests of strength. Hadeus shares this holiday with Gunnlaugir. The OM of armies lead by Hadean commanders are increased by 1 during the first mass combat they engage in within a week of this day. Relations with other Religions Hadeus' most obvious relations are with Mystras and Ximatia—respectively positive and negative. Mystras is seen as a close ally, and hers is the only non-Hadean religion that is sanctioned in the Imperium—provided her worshipers also praise Hadeus. Ximatia, on the other hand, is viewed as anathema to Hadeanism, and rightfully so. They are the worst of enemies, and servants of the Betrayer Queen are to be treated with naked hostility, tolerated only in the most dire of circumstances and quickly dispatched at the earliest possibility. Despite their once close friendship, The Masked Fool and Hadeus are now estranged from each other, and Hadeus looks upon him with a bemused caution, not working against him but always guarded against his meddling. Hadeus considers most other gods to beneath his notice or recognition. Indeed, the Hadean faith actually prevents its followers from recognizing anyone but Hadeus and Mystras as gods at all. They are seen merely as powerful entities playing at divinity, and undeserving of the worship lauded upon the Allfather and Allmother. Realm Hadeus controls his own material plane, a realm called Hadea, which serves both as Hadeus' residence and his faith's afterlife, and the vast, fantastic landscapes outside of his magnificent golden palace are kept as fiefs by his Saints. Hadeus only allows heroes and exceptionally pious worshipers into the realm, considering it a reward for those who exemplify his dogma, rather than merely for paying him lip service. Those admitted into the plane are blessed with a blissful existence, indulging in festivals, feasts, hunts, tournaments, and massive mock wars. Heralds and Vassals Hadeus counts among his Vassals, in addition to a host of Angels; the Seraphim, who are mortals he's gifted a bit of his divine blood, turning their souls into pure vitae; and the Forteans, a race of warriors infused with the very essence of heroism itself. Hadeus also possesses a number of well-known powerful Vassals that can be summoned by mortals to petition them for aid. *'Vindicator Alecta (Unique Angel) '''This Angel acts as Hadeus' Herald, and commands his heavenly armies. Alecta is a stern and immensely powerful being who takes the form of a darker-skinned Arcadian Human with curly brown hair and green eyes. She serves the Allfather without hesitation or question, and is considered to be his most trusted agent. In addition to her combative and tactical prowess, she is a skilled hymnist, and her battle songs have been known to redouble a routed army's resolve. Vindicator Alecta can only be called by a faithful Hadean by use of a ''gate spell. She enjoys gifts of powerful magic items and vows to Hadeus. *'Theseus (Unique Fortean) '''This Fortean general is among Hadeus' favored tacticians. Like all Forteans, he lives for the thrill of battle, but his age and experience give him the patience to plan and survey. He carries the horn of a Balor he defeated, which he has carved into a musical instrument. Theseus can be summoned by use of a ''greater planar ally spell. He enjoys gifts of magical armor and swords *'Eurytius (Unique Half-celestial Horse)' This intelligent red-furred horse has golden eyes and a short black mane. Fearless in the face of any challenge, he is often summoned by powerful Hadean casters to ride into battle. Eurytius can be summoned by use of a planar ally spell. He enjoys gifts of magical nuts and fruits. Elioud Elioud of Hadeus tend to be exceptionally attractive members of their race, often with red eyes or silver hair. They take to roles of leadership and command with ease, and are stricken with an almost compulsive need to rise above the heights of mundanity. Mortal Heralds Notes and References Category:Hadeanism Category:Deities of Charm Category:Deities of Glory Category:Deities of Healing Category:Deities of Nobility Category:Deities of War Category:Elder Deities Category:Lawful Good Deities Category:Deities